GG5 5521 Sooke Road to Kilometer 49 - Sooke Potholes Feb 4, 2013

Track


View Galloping Goose 5 Feb. 5, 2013 in a larger map



Thanks, Dwayne, for the track and slideshow

Directions
We'll meet at last week's stop  - the parking lot at 5512 Sooke Road.  It's about 10 K to the next stop - the top parking lot at Sooke Potholes.  We will board the vehicle left there for the return trip to the Sooke Road lot. 

Parking Lot


View Larger Map

Check out the park brochure showing the parking next to the 49K marker

Description from official guide


Near Coopers Cove (3 km west of Roche Cove) the Goose heads north
across Sooke Road (use extreme caution on this busy highway!) and
visits the neighbourhood of Ayum Creek before heading north into the
Sooke River Valley.


Here the Goose climbs out of the coastal plain and up the canyon. Far
below, the Sooke River plunges and swirls past potholes, and hustles out
to sea. The original railway once spanned Charters and Todd creeks.
Today only tall iron and wooden trestles remain, upgraded in 1995 to
safely handle foot and bicycle use.


The view from the trail perched on the side of the canyon is breathtaking. If you’re on horseback, watch for signs indicating a bypass trail with stream crossing for horses.
There is no direct access to Sooke Potholes Provincial Park from here
as the Goose is separated from the Potholes by private property. We
recommend entering from the Sooke River parking lot, about 2½ kilometres south of the Potholes on Sooke River Road.

From the last trestle over Todd Creek, the Goose climbs steadily for
12 kilometres to the end of the trail near Leechtown. Most trail users end
their journey near the Todd Trestle, but the ambitious cyclist may want to
complete the last section. This last stretch is straight and narrow because of trees and shrubs
encroaching on the right-of-way. It is indeed wild, but the least scenicallyinteresting of the previous 25 kilometres.

Leechtown, an old mining town, lies on private land beyond the regional
trail. Those expecting to view a quaint, ghost town will be disappointed. Though rich in history,
much of Leechtown has disappeared, either overgrown with Scotch Broom
or dismantled long ago.